Housing and conveyor connections for screw conveyors



' E. P. EscHER July 29, 1947..

HOUSING AND CONVEYOR CONNECTIONS FOR SCREW C-ONVEYORS Filed Aug. 11.1944 Edu/rd 7? Escher;

Arme/'verf Patented July 29, 1947 iioUsrNoANnGQNvEYoR ooNNEc'rioNs sonSCREW coNViiYoRs Edward P. Escher, Ghcagoylll., assigner to ScrewConveyor Corporatiom Hammond, Indi, a core. poration .ot Illinois, ,t

Application August i1, imrysrai; Nn. 549,004'

.l y Y The present invention pertains toscrew cone veyorapparatus, andparticularlyto screw'or' spiral' conveyors made up in lengthsv requiringmultipleV sections united 'by coupling and hanger cated in which theconnections between the` se'c` tions comprise coupling and bearing orhanger units which are also of a sectional type; andprovided not onlywith connections for joining the ends of the conveyor sections but alsowith projections tting over the ends of thel conveyor tubes or housingsections, thereby securing the latter in connected relation at the sametime as the sections of said coupling and bearing units are secured andclamped together.

The improved construction is also designed: to be of such a character asnot only to `facilitate the proper repair of the various partsoftheconveyor apparatus, including such repairs as may require removal orreplacement of wholetubes or housing or conveyor sections, butA also17o-permit any essential endwise adjustment oi the latter, as may berequired for installing or servicing the apparatus.

With the foregoing general objects in View,.the

invention will now be described by reference to` the .accompanyingdrawing, illustrating 'a suitable and practical embodiment oftheproposedini- V provements, after which those features and .com-

binations involved in my improved construction will be particularly setforth andclaimed,

In the drawingf Figure 1 is an elevation illustrating a plurality ofunits or sections of screw conveyor apparatus provided with coupling andhanger or bearing structures, as Well as abox end type of const-rueetion embodying the present features of improve--v ment;

Figure 2 is a transverse section through one of the intermediatecoupling and hanger or bearing units, the same representing asectim`takenon the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

12, claims. (c1. 19e-21st 2 A Figure 31 is a longitudinal sectional viewof the sam'e,'representing' a section taken on the line S-- ofV Figure2; and

.litiga-'1rev 4- is a longitudinal sectional elevation of one -of thesectional box end units.`

The present invention involvespimprovements in thefsa'rnev general tgp-eof screw conveyor apparatus illustrated' patent to Kozal;v et al;A N o.1,279,201,V dated' April' is, 1942', in which; a Screw conveyor'. ofmultiple sections employs coupler an hanger" structures between theConveyor sections and; the; connections' at the Various joints compriseoutwardly projecting @anges formed on. sa Y coupler and' hangerstructures and also on of the' conveyor' tubes or housings, togeth ibolts for securing the adjoining f'lfges'tgher at the `oints. It is thepurpose ott present. invention to simplify this joint const ctionbyeliminating the flange design and attendant .features and at the sametime provide a, tig 'y sealed@ and `adj,ustabl'e construction ofindications and adapted to be more y,ily serviced.

illustrated afs comprising a plurality ofintegral @apiece conveyor tubesor. housing sections lil which are of uniformly the same diameter and pr'vided with' matching screw conveyor sections wbin may be made un ef atubular Shaft t2 car in a-,screw conveyor flight .portion lill'. The ad.sections (if-screw conveyor are adapted tope piped togetherinYcont-i-'nuous endwiserelation by means ofoouplings 'lr6 and bolts f8;as described inpatent to Kozak, No. 21,2602811, dated @tidos-1f Zotter.

z-E. of 'the intermediate coupling and bearing units .comprisessemicylindrical'housing portions 2li-eee therme bcllmouthed edgeportions or sem 1' drivel1 `.ifiztofis as indi-Gated at 24, Cooperatingto fit over the ,ends o f adjoining conveyor tubes I0 and to which7 theyare securely clamped-ansi hold by means, of matins ri-bsor projections256- and bolts :28 as illustrated in Figures lenta These rroiectins ribs2B' .dene the plane of separation between said housing portions A2li)and; 22, which is atanariglc to the vertical, .and the lower section.2li is formed integral with and' carried by' the base: or supporting,standard 30- nousin'g portici-rY or section 2 0: ofi the couplingandlbearing is-A further provided with. an inwaiil'ttv projecting web orhanger armv 3:2', the. inner end 134i ofwhi'cii is formed as .one part.3:4 of'a *split bear-ing structure, the other .partf of which. is shownasia cap; bearing. element'v 316 hav- "in theA drawing the improvedconstruction. isA

ing the bolts 31 and thus cooperating with the bearing part 34 toprovide the hanger or bearing structure for the shaft coupling I6.

Each coupling and bearing uni-t is equipped with the usual lubricatingfitting 35, and preferably each of the housing portions or sections 22of the coupling and bearing units is also provided with an inspectionopening 38. at the top of the unit when assembled, and provided with acover plate 39 and suitable bolts 40 for securing the plate in placeover said opening as shown in Figures 1 and 3.

In tting the ends of the conveyor tubes I Within the bellmouthedportions 24 at the op posite sides of the coupling and bearing units, agasket 42 of suitable width is applied to the end of each tube for tightsealing purposes, when the parts are clamped together by the action ofthe bolts 28. As illustrated, the width of the semi-cylindricalprojections or bellmouthcd portions 24 is designed to be ample, orexceeding the average projection of the tube I0 into the coupling unit(corresponding to the width of said gasket) so as to provide asubstantial range of longitudinal adjustment of the tube or housingsections I0 as may be required.

The projecting rib portions 26 may also be appropriately recessed asindicated at 44, for the use of suitable packing material. y

At each end of the apparatus a box end supporting unit is provided forconnection with the ends of the corresponding conveyor and housingsections, the drawing showing one such unit at what is represented asthe feed end of the conveyor apparatus and adjacent to the feed spout 46with which the initial conveyor and housing section is equipped. Theconstruction of this box end unit is of similar split forma;- tion tothat already described for the intermediate coupling and hanger units,that is, having the split semicylindrical portions 20' and 22" formedwith the securing ribs or anges 25' for the bolts 28, and the section 20having'the supporting base or stand 30'. Each box end unit is in effecta half coupling or hanger unit, for coupling to only one end of a.conveyor and housing section and accordingly having only one haring orbellmouthed structure 24'; and in place of the interior hanger orbearing structure (such as shown in Figures 2 and 3), an end plate 48 issecured by bolts 50 to a split ange 52 formed on the semicylindricalparts 20 and 22'. This end plate is provided with a suitable opening 54for the mounting of a conventional end thrust bearing unit 56 for theend of the conveyor shaft:V and corresponding to this, at the oppositeend of the conveyorapparatus, the box end unit is equipped with aconventional drive end bearing unit 58 for connection with the drive endof the conveyor, this end of the apparatus being illusstrated in Figure1 as having an ordinary form .of discharge spout 60.

Preferably also, the opposed faces of the partsv 20' and 22 areappropriately recessed (as indicated at 45) for the use of suitablepackingv material. l

With the construction as above described, the opposite ends of theconveyor shafts I2 are removably coupled with adjoining conveyorsections, by means of the adjustable couplings I6 and bolts I8, andthese coupled ends are thus removably journaled in the sectional bearingstructures 34-36 supported within the coupling and bearing units 20-22,being carried by the lower sections 2U of said units. Moreover, the

4 opposite ends of the cylindrical conveyor housing sections I0 arefitted within the bellmcuthed portions 24 of said units 20-22 andthereby clamped in accurately alined relation when the sections of saidunits are secured by the bolts 28 as shown in Figure 1.

`-'Vifith such a construction it will be apparent that inV order toobtain access to the interior bearing parts at any joint between thesections `;of the conveyor it is merely necessary to remove the bolts 28connecting the two sections of theicoupling and bearing unit 20--22 atthat 'joint and remove the upper section 22. If the repair operationrequires removal of a section of the conveyor housing IIJ or a sectionof the convcyor, then it is simply necessary to remove the sections 22of the coupling units at both ends of the conveyor section, and also thebearing cap elements 36 by detaching the screws 31, after which theshaft coupling elements I6 (by removing thebolts I8) may be shiftedendwise as described in the aforesaid Patent #2,260,811, thus freeingtheV opposite ends of the conveyor housing section Ill and its conveyorsection I2-I4 andrpermitting their removal and repair or replacement.

With reference to the conveyor sections, at either'end of the apparatus,the same operation is ofvy'course facilitated by the type of sectionalconstruction shown for the corresponding box endy units. It is also tobe noted that in addition to the use of the gaskets 42, for the ends ofthe conveyor housing sections I0, provision is made for suitable endwiseadjustment of said housing sections within the bellmouthed ends 24 ofthe coupling and bearing units, as may be required for taking up slightvariations in the length of the conveyor sections or tubes in actualpractice.

It will thus'be apparent that I have devised a practical and efficienttype of construction for carrying out the aforesaid objects of myinvention, andv while the arrangement and construction illustrated arefound to represent satisfactory embodiments of my improvements I desireto be understood as reserving the right to make all changes ormodifications which may properly be deemed to fall within the spirit andscope of my invention as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters-Patent is:

1.- Acoupling` and bearing unit for the ends of sectionalvscrew conveyorapparatus, comprising a bearing stand having a base or supportingstandard and a sectional housing structure having semicylindrical mouthportions for iitting telescopingly over the end of a cylindricalconveyor tube and adapted to be contracted into clamping engagementtherewith, bearing means Within said` housing structure forcorresponding 'portions-of the screw conveyor, and means for removablysecuring and drawing together the sections of said housing structure andthereby clamping said end of the conveyor tube within saidsemicylindrical mouth portions of the housing structure.

2; A coupling and bearing unit for the joints of sectional screwconveyor apparatus, comprising a Abearing stand having a base orsupporting standard and a sectional housing structure having oppositelyextending semicylindrical clamping portions for fitting telescopinglyover the ends of adjoining conveyor tubes and adapted to be Ycontractedinto clamping engagement therewith,

bearing means within said housing structure for corresponding portionsof the screw conveyor, and means for removably securing and drawingtogether the sections of said housing structure and thereby clampingsaid ends of the conveyor tubes within said semicylindrical clampingportions of the housing structure.

EDWARD P. ESCI-1ER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

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